Waikato's Kendall Heremaia grabbed 15 rebounds and slotted 12 points in a dominant performance to help guide Waikato to a 64-50 win against Otago in the final of the national under-23 championships in Tauranga on Saturday.
Heremaia had able support from Kelcy Ballantyne, who also registered a double-double with 10 rebounds and 17 points.
Krystal Leger-Walker had a big impact on the game as well, with 14 rebounds and eight points.
Nicole Ruske did her best for Otago with a game-high 20 points, and Brittany Richards had a solid game with 11 points and six rebounds.
Otago was hamstrung by an injury to Zoe Richards earlier in the tournament and had only three players on the bench.
That made it tough but the team started well and led 14-12 after the opening quarter.
It was still in touch at halftime, trailing by just two points.
But Waikato seized control in the third quarter, outscoring Otago 23-10.
While Otago continued to battle and won the final quarter 11-10, the match had already drifted beyond its grasp.
